Very few people could have predicted in 1980
the cornucopia of great sounding cartridges—at literally every price
point—available to analog devotees today. A modern day, must-listen to list of cartridges encompasses but is not limited to the likes of Lyra,
Clearaudio, Dynavector, Benz, Grado, Air Tight, Koetsu, Ikeda,
Transfiguration, Shelter, Sumiko, Allnic, My Eminent, Ortofon, Grado,
Miyabi, Miyajime and Soundsmith. Yet few cartridges come close to, much
less equal, the ZYX Universe II's ability to make that musical
connection with the brain.

My first introduction to the latest
incarnation of the ZYX Universe cartridge came at the 2013 CES in the
LAMM Audio suite. Unlike many other show attendees—and mind you this
comes from an absolute dyed-in-the-wool analog lover—I thought that the
French Neodio Origine CD player handily outperformed the similarly
priced analog front-end comprised of the big Kronos table outfitted with
the 12-inch Graham Phantom Supreme II arm and Universe II cartridge. The
analog playback system simply sounded dark, sluggish and quite frankly,
boring. Perhaps even more puzzling to this analog junkie was why the
Origine, particularly in those ever so critical midrange frequencies,
shamed the turntable set-up. Well puzzle no longer. The Universe II
cartridge used in the LAMM room —and the same sample used for this
review—was brand spanking new out of the box.

First Impressions Prove Wrong

Truth be told, the Universe II is far from a
boring cartridge.

Indeed, it's that musically engaging quality
nee lower distortion that most appropriately defines the Universe II's
sound. The Universe II cartridge never draws attention to itself nor
screams listen to me, listen to me. No, the music comes first and
foremost and sonic attributes second with this transducer. The Universe
II is clearly the antithesis of—if there is such a mythical
creature—that prototypical "moving coil cartridge sound."

Balance wise, the ZYX strikes me as a
cartridge ready made for anyone who relishes the Koetsu's musicality but
not the cartridge's other downsides (Note: the recently auditioned and
hopefully soon to arrive stone bodied Azule Blue may permanently lay to
rest that "Koetsu" signature). Indeed, few cartridges on the market can
match the Universe II's midrange presence and palpability, tonal palette
and most notably, ability to convey musical emotion. In fact, the ZYX's
midrange is very reminiscent of that of very good tube triode amplifier.
You know and have experienced that feeling at least once in your
audiophile journey. That indescribable feeling and ability to reach out
and wrap your arms around the images. For instance, take the Hopkins
and van Ronk inspired blues cut "Come Back Baby," from that very special
Opus 3 recording Eric Bibb April Fools (Opus 3 79-14). There's none of
that oh-so-typical "blanket" over the microphone. As a result, the ZYX
really extracts more of the deep down emotion and soul in Eric Bibb's
voice and allow these qualities to rise to the surface. If the music
doesn't for some reason give you goosebumps, then there's either an
issue with the cartridge's VTA/SRA setting (especially if the
cartridge's VTA/SRA is too low) or somewhere else in the system.

While there's no doubt that the Universe II
is cut from the same musical cloth as the previously reviewed ZYX Omega
Au cartridge (not to mention also the Omega Cu that made its way here
after the Au review but was never reviewed), it's also perfectly clear
that Nakatsuka's newest offering is far more refined, linear sounding
and less colored than its earlier brethren. Overall the biggest sonic
difference between the two cartridges—and in retrospect the VPI Classic
Direct and 3-D arm combination would have been even more revealing—lies in the in the mid- and upper bass regions. Here the Universe II neatly
sidesteps the (though the Cu was a little better than the Gold in this
regard) thickening, blurring and exaggeration in the mid- and upper-bass
region of the Omega Au. Sam Jones and Neils-Henning Orsted Pedersen basses' on the Double Bass album (Alto/Steeplechase SRCS 1055) have far
less overhang although there's still a touch of slowness in this region
when compared to cartridges like the Lyra Atlas, Ikeda 9TT or
Transfiguration Proteus cartridges.

Though exceptionally smooth and seriously
low in distortion, the Universe II interestingly never lacks for
resolution either. Once again, it's interesting to note that this
resolution never comes at the expense of the total package. The Universe
II does a splendid job on closely miked recordings such as Masaru Imada
Quartet's Now! (Three Blind Mice TBM-2) of rendering the overtones of
instruments. One can literally imagine in the "mind's eye" standing near
the near piano and hearing the canopy of notes emanating from the
instrument. Bells on the "Alter" cut float on an invisible bed of air
and are incredibly delicate and light sounding. The lowest levels of
reverb decaying and travelling to the back reaches of the stage are
wonderfully captured. By contrast, the Lyra Atlas is just slightly
colder in presentation but a touch more neutral.

No component is perfect and two areas where
the Universe II falls slightly short of ultimate is in a slight
darkening of the overall picture and a rounding or softening of
instrumental transient attack. To be sure, this quality is to a certain
extent dependent upon the associated phono cable (see upcoming survey)
with the Universe II being slightly more open when combined with
something like the Bill Low Signature, Transparent or Graditech and just
slightly darker say with either the Kaplan or Audience SE products.

Now one album that's stood the test of time
and remains to this very day one of my oldest go to reference albums
(thanks to Mike at American Audiophile in Lynbrook for turning me onto
this album back in the late ‘80s) is the Titanic recording Picaflor:
Latin American Music for Guitar and Mandolin (Titanic Mn-5). Now at
first blush, a mandolin and guitar recording hardly seems a particularly
challenging or revealing test for an audio system. Not so fast cowboy.
Picaflor challenges many a component's ability to properly
reproduce—especially on highly revealing electrostatic speakers—each
instrument's initial transient attack, tone, dynamic accents, speed and
low, lower and lowest level details. To be more specific: the guitar
shouldn't sound like a mandolin and vice versa (not always a given with
some components). Each instrument on this somewhat closely miked
recording should possess an immediacy and solidity in space as well as
good dose of that of ambience and space surrounding each instrument that
analog lovers so cherish. In the case of the Universe II, there's a
silky smooth, slightly reverberant and warm sounding guitar with nary a
trace of grain; the mandolin possesses its characteristic twang and
decay though the instrument's initial transient attack is ever so gently
rounded. Where the Universe II really shines, though, is in its ability
to retrieve the minutest details such as the musician's fingers on and
moving over the strings and the short or long decays of each note and
harmonic envelope surrounding each instrument.

"Walk on the Wild Side" (Speakers Corner/RCA
LSP-4807) from the superlative Speaker's Corner reissue of Lou Reed's
Transformer also serves as a great test for resolution and low frequency
tightness. On the plus side, the Universe II possesses a real knack on
this track to transport the listener back to the original recording
studio. Every word Reed sings draws you further into the song's lyrics
("Walk on the Wild Side" certainly never sounded like this in college
and that was with additional help!) and there's no mistaking the
judiciously added reverb surrounding his voice. In particular, the
Universe II possesses an uncanny ability to portray instruments and
singers on the outer edge of the stage especially when the Thunderthighs
enter from far the furthest reaches of the back stage and move forward
into the sides of this mix. The added ambience surrounding the
Thunderthighs completely fills, envelopes and defines the room/stage's
boundaries. On the minus side, the Universe II just loses a bit of the
differentiation of the song's beat compared to cartridges like the Atlas
or Ikeda 9TT.

No less impressive—just as with the ZYX
Omega Au cartridge—is the Universe II's talent for throwing a
wall-to-wall (and even a bit more) soundstage. Kenny Burrell literally
sounds like he's playing in the next door apartment on Blue Lights, Vol.
II (Classic Records/Blue Note BST 81597). The rest of the Burrell's
talented crew—save for the early hard left and right positioning—are
solidly positioned across the stage. And just as on the Blue Note tapes,
there's simply an amazing sense of three-dimensional, palpable
instruments present in the listening room. Most importantly, there's
the Universe II's ability to reproduce the unique tonal colors of
Burrell's guitar–not to mention those of Barney Kessel, Grant Green, Jim
Hall, George Benson and many others. Now the Universe II can't match the
transient attack of say the Atlas or Ikeda 9TT cartridges, but the
Universe II puts it into a more relaxed, absolutely effortless and
unstrained package. The Universe II does add a little bit of its own
flavor to this recording than the Atlas but then again, this cartridge
is far less euphonic sounding than the previously reviewed ZYX Omega Au
version.

Equally impressive is the Universe II's
ability to recapture and recreate the recording's sense of ambient
space. Take for example the last movement, "Allegro marciale-Presto,"
from one of my favorite Mercury recordings, Paul Fetler's Contrasts for
Orchestra (SR 90282). The Universe II gives us a real taste of what
Robert Fine heard when he committed this music to tape. There's an
amazing sense of see through transparency from the front to the rear of
the Northrup Hall's stage in Minneapolis. There's an ability to hear the
brass echo off the back and side walls of the hall. The biggest area
where the Universe 2 falls somewhat short of ultimate on the Fetler
piece is in the lower reaches of the audio spectrum. Here the Universe 2
loses a little of the drum's sense of urgency, tightness and dynamics.
Again these shortcomings can be addressed to some extent with careful
selection of phono cables.

Let's not forget to mention before leaving
the amazing, rosiny sound of the string section. String solos really
stand out for the midrange ease and realism. Neither does the Universe
II smooth out the sound of the string section since that characteristic
Mercury "string sound" is still present but not overwhelming. Nor is the
bite of the strings overemphasized as with other cartridges. Once again,
proper phono cable selection will avoid that edgy string sound syndrome
as well as optimizing the cartridge's dynamics.

Making A Permanent Connection

New or broken-in, the Universe II won't bowl
you over at first listen (not unlike many good products!). Maybe not
even with a second or third listen. But the more one listens to the
Universe II, the more one falls in love in love with Universe II's
honesty and faithfulness to the music. Couple that honesty with the
Universe II's quietness, resolution, transparency, tonal presentation
and lifelike qualities and can you say winner? Sadly, this cartridge
came in before the arrival (unfortunately delayed but that's usually how
things happen in the industry) of the new and far more neutral and
revelatory VPI Classic Direct and 3-D arm and Silent Running Ohio Class
XL+2 base. As good as the old table was, this new front-end would have
unquestionably improved the cartridge's strengths and reduced it issues.

Perhaps the greatest mark of an exceptional
product is the length of the withdrawal symptoms when the unit is
returned to the distributor; in the case of the Universe II, the
Jonesing still hasn't gone away.

Technical Highlights

ZYX, as previously reported in my original
Omega Au review, was founded by Hisayoshi Nakatsuka nearly 30 years ago.
Nakatsuka's long and storied high-end audio resume includes having first
worked on the Kenwood Trio components before then moving onto Ortofon.
After leaving Ortofon, Nakatsuka moved to Namiki Precision Jewel where
he among other projects, developed the now famous Monster Cable
cartridge line.

No doubt many readers, as was I, are curious
about the differences between Nakatsuka's latest Universe II and the
original production version. Despite my best efforts, however, there
wasn't a lot of technical information to be gleaned about the new
Universe II cartridge. It appears that Nakatsuka is playing it very
close to the chest with his latest creation and what information was
available, wasn't necessarily new. The Universe II is, as are all ZYX
cartridges, "equipped with the original real sound power generation
system where time-is distortion is cancelled by the use of several
patented technologies. The Real Stereo addresses 15 factors in cartridge
design including but not limited to magnetic pole direction, coil
winding direction and method, grounding techniques and attention to
dynamically induced currents."

Nakatsuka's cartridges (and other products)
are once again being handled in North America by SoraSound in North
America. Setting up and aligning the Universe II in the VPI Classic
10.5i arm was more difficult than say the Atlas with its easily viewable
cantilever but worlds easier than say the Ikeda 9TT or Transfiguration
Proteus cartridges where something like the Hubble telescope proves
handy (see upcoming reviews). The Universe II performed its best in the
VPI Classic 10.5 arm tracking between 2.0 and 2.05 gms. Cartridge
loading seemed best between 100 and 180 ohms into Doshi phono stage; so
both 100 and 180 were used during the review. Finally, while the
Universe II's 0.24 mV output places it squarely on the low side of
moving coil cartridges, its perceived output—and the Benz's also come to
mind—belies its relatively low output. In other words, the Universe II
sounds much bigger than its nominal rating. No matter, one definitely
benefits from using a quiet phono section to amplify the Universe II.
Myles B. Astor